During her extensive travels around the U.S., actress and author Marlo Thomas kept meeting women who were “stuck.” Stuck in a dead-end job. Stuck with a suddenly-empty nest and no plan for what to do next. Stuck in indecision over where their life should go.

Marlo Thomas

A few years ago Thomas launched a website for women to connect, share stories, and help each other “re-invent.” And she says the aim was to reassure all of them that it’s never too late to get un-stuck.Now she’s collected the stories of dozens of women in a new book called “It Ain’t Over . . . Till It’s Over”

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When civil war broke out in Liberia in 1990, many assumed it would be over quickly. But as Charles Taylor’s rebels kept going, and ultimately Taylor assumed power, the conflict grew.

Leymah Gbowee had just graduated from high school in Monrovia when the fighting started. Her plans for a higher education were destroyed by the war, but more alarming to her was how many families were being destroyed. Including hers. Ultimately Gbowee’s bitterness became rage, which became a determination to act. She organized Liberia’s women – Christian and Muslim alike – to force an end to the civil war. Now in her memoir “Mighty Be Their Powers,” Gbowee tells the story of the peace campaign, and her role in it.

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She’s written several books about constitutional law, American history, and politics — now Caroline Kennedy‘s newest bestseller is an anthology of poetry for women, called “She Walks in Beauty.”

Organized under headings such as “Falling in Love,” “Breaking Up,” “Marriage,” and “Motherhood,” Kennedy’s collection also brings together a blend of classics and newer, more contemporary poets and their work. Each section includes a brief personal introduction in which the now 53-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy explains the relevance of poetry in her own life. It all started, she explains, when friends sent her poems to help her cope with turning fifty.

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